YourDictionary

Dictionary Home » Phrase Meanings » body English

What does "body English" mean?

Movements of the body that express a person's feelings, as in His body English tells us just how tired he is. This expression originated about 1900 in such sports as bowling and ice hockey, where a player tries to influence the path of a ball or puck by moving his body in a particular direction. (It was based on the earlier use of English to mean “spin imparted to a ball.”)

Learn more about body English

link/cite print suggestion box